


Alibi

by FiveDollarMixtape



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Deaf Character, Ghosts, deaf main character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-02-22 03:21:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13158195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveDollarMixtape/pseuds/FiveDollarMixtape
Summary: She hasn't heard anything since the day She was born.  She has no knowledge of Her home, the cats around Her, or what they are supposed stand for... until She starts seeing some strange cats- ones that only She can see or hear.





	1. Allegiances

**Echoes Of Distant Past**

 

**LEADER-** **THE TOM WHO WAS UNDERSTANDING-** A massive dark brown tom with green eyes.

**MEDICINE CATS-**

**THE SHE-CAT WHO CATS ADMIRE-** A brown she-cat with white markings and green eyes.

 **THE SHE-CAT WITH SCARS-** A dark ginger she-cat with murky gold eyes.

**WARRIORS-**

**THE TOM WHO CARED-** A brown tom with ice blue eyes.

 **THE SHE-CAT WHO PLAYED-** A tortoiseshell she-cat with hazel eyes.

 **THE SHE-CAT WHO RUNS IN THE WIND-** A cream and dark brown she-cat with blue eyes.

_Apprentice- The Tom Who Pranks_

**THE SHE-CAT WHO LEAPS-** A white she-cat with gray markings and green eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO LISTENS-** A brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO GRINS-** A dark brown tabby tom with green eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO FOUGHT-** A red pelted tom.

_Apprentice- The Tom Who Leaps_

**THE SHE-CAT WHO WAS LITHE-** A long legged, pale gray she-cat with blue-green eyes.

_Apprentice- The She-Cat With Energy_

**THE TOM WHO LURKS-** A black and white tom with pale green eyes.

 **THE SHE-CAT WHO SMILES-** A ginger tabby with white patches and pale green eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO WAS LARGE-** A large, ginger tabby tom with pale green eyes.

 **THE SHE-CAT WHO GROWLS-** A dark red, white, and black she-cat with bright green eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO HATES-** A black tom with amber eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO SMILES-** A black and white tom with bright blue eyes.

**APPRENTICES-**

**THE TOM WHO LEAPS-** A golden-brown tom with amber eyes.

 **THE SHE-CAT WITH ENERGY-** A small, black, golden, and russet she-cat with brown eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO PRANKS-** A dark brown, ginger, and white tom with one blue eye and one green eye.

**QUEENS-**

**THE SHE-CAT WHO CARED-** A black and white tabby she-cat with hazel eyes.  Mother of The Tom Who Was Her Age and She/Her.

 **THE SHE-CAT WHO FOUGHT-** A dark brown she-cat with amber eyes.  Mother of The Tom Who Was Falling and The Tom Who Was Ageing.

**KITS-**

**THE TOM WHO WAS HER AGE-** A brown and white tom with blue eyes.

 **SHE/HER-** A brown, gray, and white she-kit with blue eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO WAS FALLING-** A thick furred dark brown tom with green eyes.

 **THE TOM WHO WAS AGEING-** A dark brown tom with amber eyes.

**ELDERS-**

**THE TOM WHO WAS DARK-** A black tom with blue-green eyes.

 **THE SHE-CAT WHO WAS STRONG-** A muscular, reddish-brown she-cat with blue eyes.

 

 **Claws Of Guiding Ancestors**  

 

**LEADER-** **CYANTRI’IDE-** A white tom with pale blue eyes.

**MEDICINE CAT-** **RIPPLE-** A silver tom with blue eyes.

**WARRIORS-**

**WILLOW-** A gray she-cat with green eyes.

 **NIGHTLY-** A large, jet black tom with violet eyes.

 **GUST-** A long legged brown tabby she-cat with fiery golden eyes.

_Apprentice- Elysium_

**LEE-** A silver tom with blue eyes.

 **MECCA-** A bright ginger she-cat with blue eyes.

_Apprentice- Arson_

**CLAWS-** A gray tom with frosty blue eyes.

 **FADED-** A white she-cat with color shifting eyes.

 **ENDER-** A large black she-cat with violet eyes.

_Apprentice- Shade_

**PEARL-** A pearly white tom with rare, white eyes.

**APPRENTICES-**

**SHADE-** A dark gray and black tom with golden eyes.

 **ARSON-** A ginger she-cat with emerald eyes.

 **ELYSIUM-** A white, gray, black, silver, ginger, and golden tom with golden eyes.

**QUEENS-**  

 **LADYBUG-** A russet and black she-cat with stunning blue eyes.  Mother of Charm and Lucky.

 **SAPLING-** A slender and light brown tabby she-cat with hazel eyes.  Mother of Shiver, Seedling, and Charr.

**KITS-**

**CHARM-** A black she-kit with turquoise eyes.

 **LUCKY-** A russet and black tabby tom with blue eyes.

 **SHIVER-** A blue-gray she-kit with hazel eyes.

 **SEEDLING-** A black tom with golden eyes.

 **CHARR-** A large, brown tabby tom with golden eyes.

**ELDERS-**

**UMBER-** An umber furred tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

 **STORM-** A gray, black, and white tom with blue eyes.

 **WARM-** A white tom with hazel eyes.

 

**Warriors Of Gained Strength**

 

**LEADER-** **STAR-** A white tom with ginger spots and yellow-green eyes.

**MEDICINE CAT-** **FEATHER-** A ginger and white she-cat with blue eyes.

**WARRIORS-**

**BIRDIE-** A golden, black, and white she-cat with green eyes.

 **SHARIK-** A gray and black tom with pale yellow eyes.

_Apprentice- Ryzeke_

**TAWNY-** A large, tawny she-cat with green eyes.

 **VENOM-** A black tom with acidic green eyes.

 **BROWNIE-** A brown and white she-cat with brown eyes.

 **KIKI-** A long furred, red she-cat with green eyes.

 **SAKURA-** A pinkish furred she-cat with a pinkish hue to her eyes.

 **NIKINE-** A long legged golden tom with amber eyes.

 **TRES-** A black, gray, gold, silver, and bronze tom with yellow eyes.

 **SNOW-** A white she-cat with green eyes.

 **WHITE-** A tall, white tom with deep amber eyes.

 **MHINA-** A ginger she-cat with blue eyes.

 **SPIRIT-** A dark ginger tom with amber eyes.

**APPRENTICE-** **RZYEKE-** A scarred, tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.

**QUEEN-** **HAVEN-** A dark gray she-cat with blue eyes.  Mother of Dark and Deer.

**KITS-**

**DARK-** A white and gray she-kit with green eyes.

 **DEER-** A black and gray tom with amber eyes.

**ELDERS-**

**CHERRY-** A dark ginger she-cat with yellow eyes.

 **THUNDER-** A dark brown and ginger tabby tom with amber eyes.


	2. Chapter One

The sound of silence was the only sound that She had ever heard.  Other cats moved their jaws in movements that cats seemed to understand, responding back in the same manner.  Other things, She would understand- tail movements and ear flicks and muzzle points were a universal language for cats.  That was the language She spoke in.

Still, cats would try to speak to Her with their mouth movements.  They would be slowed down, and every time it happened, She would just narrow Her eyes and flick a useless ear until they stopped.  The cat who did this the most often was The Tom Who Was Her Age, and the other kits who trembled and nearly cried as he did so.  Almost everyday, he would slow his mouth movements down to a slow crawl, while the other kits practically rolled on the ground from their amusement.  

The Tom Who Was Her Age had pale brown fur.  His paws, ear tips, chest, and belly where a fluffy white, and one color faded easily into the other.  A few strands of his fur were black, the dark color standing out from the pale colors of the rest of his pelt, but mixed well with the dark blue color that his eyes were becoming.

Her, on the other paw, was covered in a darker brown color.  Her ears, chest, forepaws, and tail tip were a gray that was so dark it was nearly black.  Markings around Her eyes, in a few rings on Her tail, and a hind paw were white.  While The Tom Who Was Her Age’s eyes only getting darker, Her’s were getting paler.

Now, though, The Tom Who Cats Looked Up To was lying in the center of the place where the cats spent most of their time (although, sometimes cats would leave, and when She tried to follow them, She would be stopped by one of the older cats, and even by The Tom Who Was Her Age, once).  With Her sharp eyes, She noticed that The Tom Who Cats Looked Up To wasn’t breathing.  

She turned, to see the cat that She was always sure would be there when She needed it- a white and black tabby she-cat.  No other cat in the group She lived in had that pattern, so She could only assume that she was special.  Unlike Her and The Tom Who Was Her Age, The She-Cat Who Cared had hazel eyes that stood out from her mix of pale and dark fur.  She waited until The She-Cat Who Cared’s eyes met Hers.

She breathed in deeply, making sure that The She-Cat Who Cared could see Her flanks moving, then gestured to The Tom Who Cats Looked Up To with a head movement and shook Her head, hoping that Her confusion conveyed on Her face.  The She-Cat Who Cared’s face fell, and she only shook her head.  She folded a useless ear backwards, before The Tom Who Was Her Age slipped between one of The She-Cat Who Cared’s legs and did his slow mouth movements again.  The She-Cat Who Cared lifted a paw and cuffed him gently around the ear.

The She-Cat Who Cared did her own mouth movements- ones that were fast and based on the look on her face, must have been filled with anger.  The Tom Who Was Her Age only shrugged, but She could smell the faintest hint of shame in his scent.  The She-Cat Who Cared shook her head once more, but didn’t make any more mouth movements.  Instead, she directed her kits towards the group of cats that were lining up in front of The Tom Who Cats Looked Up To.  

One by one, they dipped their heads and made their mouth movements, before backing off and allowing the next cat in line to do the same thing.  The three cats got in line, behind a she-cat that She knew.

Her fur was a mix of dark colors, with a few bright patches spread out in the fur.  Her eyes were the same hazel as The She-Cat Who Cared, but they were full of a happy and playful light that the elder she-cat didn’t have.  The tortoiseshell constantly played with Her when the other kits wouldn’t- she even played with the other kits, and with the strange power she had over them, The She-Cat Who Played was able to make every kit play together.

She balanced on three paws, tapping The She-Cat Who Played’s hind leg with a white forepaw.  The She-Cat Who Played turned her head, blinking down at Her, as She did Her best to display Her confusion.  The tortoiseshell dipped her head for quite a bit longer than a nod- a motion that She knew was one that the cats used to display gratitude.  With wide eyes and an open jaw, She nodded in understanding.

Out of the corner of Her eye, She saw The Tom Who Was Her Age give a weird facial expression and do his mouth movements.  The She-Cat Who Played must have replied, because the next heartbeat he had a surprised look coating his features.  

The line trailed on.  Slowly, each cat displayed their gratitude to The Tom Who Cats Looked Up To.  Before either of her kits, The She-Cat Who Cared dipped her head and did her mouth movements, before flicking her tail and padding a short distance away.  Next, The Tom Who Was Her Age copied their mother.  When he was done, he looked at Her and stuck his tongue out (in what She _knew_ was a mocking gesture) and trailed away towards The She-Cat Who Cared.

She stepped forwards, and dipped Her head like the cats before Her had done.   _I’m not really sure what your job is,_ She thought, _but I know cats value you here.  Thank you, The Tom Who Cats Look Up To, for whatever it was you do._  She raised Her head and padded over to The She-Cat Who Cared and The Tom Who Was Her Age.  

* * *

Dreams were paradise.  There was none of The Tom Who Was Her Age, The She-Cat Who Cared and The Tom Who Cared were trusting Her to be alone, and The She-Cat Who Played was a constant presence.   

In this dream, however, The She-Cat Who Played was nowhere to be seen.  Carefully, with a raised paw, She stared into the unmoving water.  While it wasn’t a common sight, every once in awhile an older cat would bring back a fish.  She hadn’t had the chance to try one yet, and She was constantly wondering what a fish would taste like.  Lately, that was what Her dreams were about.

Out of the corner of Her eye, She saw something.  She snapped Her head in that direction, Her eyes wide.  She stared, but She saw nothing.  She turned Her attention back to the water in front of Her.  She saw a flash of scales reflecting against sunlight, and instead of capturing Her prey, She dove into the water.

* * *

 She had accidentally kicked The Tom Who Was Her Age, which caused him to wake up quite unpleasantly.  In return, he woke Her by leaping on Her, his forepaws landing on Her unguarded belly.  She woke with a cough, panic from the remnants of Her dream floating through Her mind before She saw The Tom Who Was Her Age sitting across from Her with shaking shoulders.  The panic from earlier quickly faded, and She turned over to ignore the pale brown and white tom.  She could barely feel the vibrations traveling through the ground and towards Her as his small mass stormed out of the den.  She ignored him, snuggling deeping into The She-Cat Who Cared’s soft fur.

Eventually, She got up.  She stretched Her paws far in front of Her, letting out a silent yawn.  She padded out of the cozy den, narrowing Her eyes for a heartbeat against the bright sunlight.  

The place where the group lived was large.  Behind Her, was where the mothers and the other kits lived.  There were two separate dens for the cats who could leave- one was closer to the entrance and the other was across from the entrance.  The one closer to it had younger cats inside then the one across from the entrance.  Next to the den for the Older Cats, was where The Tom Who Cats Looked Up To slept, and on the other side of the entrance from the den for the Younger Cats where two cats slept and was full of weird smelling leaves.  Beside the den where She slept was where the cats even older than the Older Cats slept.  A large boulder sat in the center of camp.

She wasn’t allowed in any of the other dens.  She watched as a group of cats lifted up the limp body of The Tom Who Cats Looked Up To out of camp, his tail dragging against the ground.  She watched with a tilted head, before Her eyes met a familiar tom and She brightened, running towards the larger cat.

The Tom Who Cared was a brown tom, the color matching the brown on Her pelt.  His eyes were the same dark blue that The Tom Who Was Her Age’s was quickly becoming.  His eyes brightened when he saw Her.

She ran across the clearing as fast as She could, greeting The Tom Who Cared with a tail wave.  He responded in the same manner, easily swishing his tail back and forth.  She didn’t have much time to react before The Tom Who Was Her Age slammed into Her side, making Her stumble while The Tom Who Cared narrowed his eyes at the smaller tom.

She lifted Her head and watched as The Tom Who Cared made his mouth movements- unlike the other cats in the group, he didn’t do them as often.  Around some cats, the ones he spent more time with, like the kits and The She-Cat Who Cared, he would do them more often.  His were also smaller, and he didn’t do them for as long as the other cats.  

She turned Her attention away from The Tom Who Cared and crouched, Her tail flicking from side to side, before She pounced.  Her paws met the soft fur of The Tom Who Was Her Age, and the two tumbled around on the ground.  She ended up on the ground, with the small tom above Her, pinning Her to the ground.  He made his slow mouth movements again.  Frustrated, She lifted a paw and pressed it against his muzzle, stopping the mouth movements.  The Tom Who Was Her Age narrowed his eyes, and out of the corner of Her eye, She could see The Tom Who Cared shaking his shoulders from amusement.


	3. Chapter Two

There were two other toms in the nursery, both of them a bit younger than The Tom Who Was Her Age and Herself.  Mainly, She paid attention to their mother.

She was a she-cat that was as a large as The She-Cat Who Cared.  Her pelt was a dark brown, darker than Hers, but not so dark it was nearly black.  Her eyes were a bright amber, and she watched over the four kits like a hawk.  Before her kits were born, there was a battle with a different group of cats.  The She-Cat Who Cared had shoved both Her and The Tom Who Was Her Age into the nursery, and She watched as The She-Cat Who Fought drove off invading cat after invading cat, even with a swollen belly.

Both of her kits shared her brown pelt (one more so than the other), but each had a different eye color.  One acted more like the Old Cats- he was constantly tired and always did his mouth movements, looking at the cats around him as he did so.  A few times, he had tried to include Her, but She only narrowed Her eyes and flicked a useless ear.  She called him The Tom Who Was Ageing, and unlike his brother, he had the amber eyes of his mother.

The other was energetic, constantly playing with The Tom Who Was Her Age, and tripping over his own paws.  More than once, She had watched has he tripped, slammed his chin onto the ground, and pull himself back up before he went back to playing.  He had green eyes that were always shining with a deeper light inside of them.  She called him The Tom Who Was Falling.  

She watched as the three toms leapt and play fought, giving out clumsy paw strikes and bites that wouldn’t hurt.  The Tom Who Was Ageing paused in his step, closing his amber eyes for a heartbeat and shaking his head.  He made some mouth movements, before he padded over towards Her and laid down.  He flicked an ear at Her as he rested his head on his paws.  The other two toms looked at him for a heartbeat, before shrugging their shoulders and going back to their play fight.  

The Tom Who Was Ageing had pressed himself against Her, much like the way She did to The She-Cat Who Cared when She was tired.  She doubted that She was as warm as The She-Cat Who Cared.  She curled Her tail around Her paws, Her sharp eyes watching every movement that the fighting toms made.  

It wasn’t much longer after that when The She-Cat Who Cared and The She-Cat Who Fought padded out of their shared den, looking at the kits in front of them.  The She-Cat Who Fought looked down at Her and The Tom Who Was Ageing, and she dipped her head and licked her kit between the ears.  The Tom Who Was Ageing fidgeted, curling a paw around Her leg and pulling it out from under Her, making Her fall onto the ground.  A dull pain shot up Her jaw, and She could feel Her throat vibrate for a short moment, but She didn’t know why.  The Tom Who Was Ageing’s head shot up, and he blinked at Her as She pushed herself back to her paws.

He started making his mouth movements, before The She-Cat Who Cared interrupted him with her own.  The small tom snapped his head towards her, and nodded after a heartbeat.  He looked back at Her, and dipped his head as if he was thanking her, but She assumed that he was trying to apologize.  She flicked an ear and nodded in acceptance.  The Tom Who Was Ageing looked up at The She-Cat Who Cared, one of his ears folded backwards in confusion as he did his mouth movements.  The She-Cat Who Cared responded, and The Tom Who Was Ageing looked back at Her with a smile on his face.  She gave him a shaky one in return.

The She-Cat Who Fought gestured with her head to look towards the center of camp, and She did so.  Out of the corner of Her eye, She saw The Tom Who Was Ageing with a confused look on his face, before he looked towards the center of camp.

The two Old Cats were sitting in front of the boulder, their eyes scanning the gathered cats.  She stiffened as the eyes met Her, but they quickly moved on.  One Old Cat was a black tom, with blue-green eyes that made her think of acid.  The other was a lithe she-cat.  With long legs, blue-green eyes, and pale gray fur with a reddish pigment added to it, She thought that the Old Cat would have made a foreboding fighter when she was younger.  She didn’t know the two Old Cats well- once, She had followed the other kits into their den, but they gave her weird looks as the Old Cats did their mouth movements.  She hadn’t gone back since.  She called the tom The Tom Who Was Dark, and the she-cat The She-Cat Who Was Strong.

It felt like it took a while, but the two cats started doing their mouth movements.  For them, the movements were slow and deliberate, like they were being careful with how their jaws moved.

The gathered cats were silent, and She watched the Old Cats intently.  One of the cats in the crowd’s head shot upwards, and he stood up.  Slowly, he padded up to the Old Cats, who dipped their heads to him before he leapt onto the boulder.

The tom was massive.  With long legs and a broad build, he was a cat that She would avoid if She didn’t know him.  His muzzle was crisscrossed with different scars, and one of his ears was torn.  His pelt was the same color as The Tom Who Was Falling- both had thick, glossy brown fur and green eyes.  This tom stopped by their den often- he would play with The Tom Who Was Falling and The Tom Who Was Ageing, and would speak with The She-Cat Who Fought.  More than once, She had seen him watching cats make their mouth movements, nodding periodically.  She called him The Tom Who Was Understanding.

The Tom Who Was Ageing balanced on his hind legs, placing his forepaws on Her shoulder and started shaking Her.  He did his mouth movements, and he had an excited look on his face.  The Tom Who Was Falling bounded over to him, pouncing at him so that they rolled around on the dirt with excitement and happiness.  She looked up, giving a confused look to The She-Cat Who Fought, hoping that she would do something about her kits.  The She-Cat Who Cared smiled at her, slowly shaking her head.  

Cats padded closer to the boulder, smiles on their faces, as they did their mouth movements.  The Tom Who Was Understanding responded to each one.  The She-Cat Who Cared stood, gently pushing Her forward with a paw.  She bounced to Her paws, following after The She-Cat Who Cared and flicking a useless ear as The Tom Who Was Her Age padded next to Her.  They weaved through the crowd easily, and when the other cats noticed them they moved to make way.  The She-Cat Who Cared looked up at The Tom Who Was Understanding, and made her mouth movements.  The tom on the boulder responded, before The Tom Who Was Her Age made his mouth movements, and The Tom Who Was Understanding did his own back.  Finally, the large, scarred tom turned his eyes to Her.

She smiled up at him, and waved Her tail in a hello.  The Tom Who Was Understanding gave Her a small smile of his own, returning the tail wave.

The Tom Who Was Her Age looked exasperated, making large and exaggerated mouth movements and sitting back on his haunches.  Surprisingly, instead of The She-Cat Who Cared, The Tom Who Was Understanding replied first, doing the tail wave again, but not to Her.  Hesitantly, and with narrowed eyes, The Tom Who Was Her Age looked at Her and waved his tail in a hello.

She smiled, and She could feel Her throat and chest vibrating in the way that The She-Cat Who Cared’s did when they were sleeping.  Happily, She waved ‘hello’ back.

* * *

One of the Younger Cats liked to play at night, when the bugs that lit up would fly around camp and when cool breezes would comb through Her fur.  The Younger Cat would chase them, trying to capture them in her paws.

She thought that the Younger Cat was pretty.  While most of her pelt was black, her ears were russet and patches of bright gold fur covered her pelt.  It looked like she shimmered with every paw step she took.  Her brown eyes complimented her dark fur colors, and made the gold in her pelt shine more.  At first, She considered calling her The She-Cat Who Was Pretty, but after watching her bounce around with the other Younger Cats, She started calling her The She-Cat With Energy.  

She watched as The She-Cat With Energy stalked a bug, balancing on her hindpaws and trying to capture it between her forepaws.  She padded forward, keeping Her eyes on one of the bugs, and She pounced.  When She landed on the ground, She checked under Her forepaws for the bug, but it was nowhere to be found.  She looked upwards, and there it was, flashing as if it was mocking Her.  She leapt and swung Her paw in an arch, but She missed the bug again.  She looked over at The She-Cat With Energy, looking up at her with curious eyes for a heartbeat.

Then, The She-Cat With Energy sprang into action, bounding forward and batting at a bug just above Her head.  Happily, She joined in, balancing on Her haunches and reaching Her paws up to the sky to paw at the bug.  When it floated away peacefully, She set Her sights on another bug.  She paused in Her charge, staring at a cat that She hadn’t seen before.

The she-cat was only a bit larger than Her, with black and dark brown tabby fur that appeared messy.  She knew that if The She-Cat Who Cared saw Her like that, then She wouldn’t be playing any games for the rest of the afternoon, since Her fur had to be to the older she-cat’s standards.  The tabby in front of Her had two different eye colors- one of them was an emerald green and the other was an ice blue.  She looked duller, more faded, compared to the rest of the world.

The tabby’s head snapped upwards when she noticed Her staring, and she quickly rose to her paws and ran, diving into the trees that surrounded the place where the group lived.

She looked over Her shoulder at The She-Cat With Energy, who was giving Her a strange look, and had an ear folded back in confusion.  The She-Cat With Energy did a mouth movement, and She leapt at another bug.  The strange cat was quickly pushed out of her mind.


	4. Chapter Three

The water was flowing around Her, but it didn’t matter, because She could breathe.  It felt like Her useless ears were plugged with something, but She didn’t stop to think about it.  The water didn’t feel like much, only a slight pressure around her as She drifted with the current.

Soon, She got bored and made Her way out of the river, shaking out Her pelt, but froze when She realized something.

Her ears were  _ working _ .  The sounds of birds chirping and wind blowing and prey moving and the water flowing sounded like cats yowling right in Her ear.  She dropped into a crouch on the ground, Her paws covering Her ears to protect them from the onslaught, but the action only muffled the sounds.

She opened one of Her eyes to see a tom standing in front of Her, a fair distance away.  Most of his fur was a mix of ginger and white patches, but his face was pure black.  His eyes were a bright emerald, and he stared at Her with a confused look on his face.  Slowly, She lifted a paw off of one of Her ears, and winced as the loud sounds started again.  He opened his mouth, something that told Her that he was about to do his own mouth movements.

“Who are you?”

* * *

She woke with a start, covering Her ears that were left sore from the loudest sound She had ever heard.  Slowly, She lifted Her paws off of Her ears, relieved to hear nothing.  She leapt to Her paws, shaking The She-Cat Who Cared awake with a paw.  Lazily, she opened one hazel eye and looked at Her.

She frantically batted at one of Her ears with a paw, Her eyes wide with fear and confusion.  She waited for the look of understanding, but none came.  She batted Her ear harder, desperate to get Her point across.  The She-Cat Who Cared got a concerned look on her face.  Carefully, she stood, and padded over to The She-Cat Who Fought with her kit on her heels.  The tabby shook The She-Cat Who Fought awake with a paw, and did some mouth movements to the other she-cat.  The brown cat nodded, and The She-Cat Who Cared moved to pick up the dark brown and gray kit by Her scruff.

The She-Cat Who Cared easily padded across the clearing, towards the Leaf Den.  Before they even entered, She screwed up Her nose from the harsh scent of the leaves.  The She-Cat Who Cared didn’t seem to be affected, and she didn’t hesitate to dive inside the den.

The Leaf Den was dim.  At the front of the den, pushed to the side, was the nest of the Leaf Cats.  Light filtered into the den from the entrance, but since it was nighttime, there wasn’t much light to begin with.  She narrowed Her eyes to get a better view of the shadowy part of the den, to see empty nests, and behind that, crooked plants in front of a hole in the wall.  Here, the scent of herbs was overpowering.

The She-Cat Who Cared set Her on the ground, and padded over to the one of the Leaf Cats.  As soon as She was on the ground, She continued Her movement of batting Her ear with Her paw, waiting for The She-Cat Who Cared to notice Her and to understand what She was trying to tell her.  The Leaf Cat stood, shaking the other Leaf Cat awake, and limped into the light.

She was tall and lithe, looking like a she-cat that could easily weave around anything in her path.  Her dark ginger fur was long, and her pelt was criss crossed with plenty of scars, making Her wonder if Leaf Cats were trained to fight.  Her paws were white, and a part of one of her forepaws was missing, leading to her limp.  Her eyes were a murky gold.  She called her The She-Cat With Scars.

The other Leaf Cat was covered with brown fur, except for the intricate white markings that covered her back.  Her eyes were a bright green, and unlike The She-Cat With Scars, this Leaf Cat had no scars to be seen except for a small nic in her ear.  She had watched her give out, what She guessed were, orders to cats younger and older than herself, so She called her The She-Cat Who Cats Admire.  After all, if the group didn’t admire her, why did they listen to her?

The She-Cat Who Cats Admire’s eyes were filled with a concerned light as She did her movement, but She couldn’t stop.  The three cats didn’t understand Her yet, and until they did, She wouldn’t stop hitting Her ear with a paw.  The other, seemingly a bit younger, Leaf Cat made a mouth movement, and The She-Cat Who Cats Admire stepped closer and lifted a paw towards Her and gently pulled Her paw away.

She hadn’t gotten Her message across yet.  She lifted Her other paw, and started hitting Her other ear with it.  The She-Cat Who Cats Admire shook her head, looking back at The She-Cat Who Cared and The She-Cat With Scars as she did her mouth movements.

The She-Cat With Scar’s eyes widened, and she made her mouth movements.  She wondered if that was a look of understanding, or a look of surprise.  Either way, She stopped hitting her ear.  The other cats in the Leaf Den made a wide-eyed look of their own, before The She-Cat Who Cats Admire took a few pawsteps back.  She made her mouth movements, staring at Her.

She narrowed Her eyes.  Why couldn’t cats understand that She didn’t understand what those movements meant? She remembered Her dream of the tri colored tom, whose mouth movements made that horrible sound.  She  _ hoped _ that wasn’t what those mouth movements were.

The She-Cat With Scars flicked her tail, a motion that She knew meant  _ come here. _  She rose to Her paws, and bounded towards the Leaf Cat.  As she stopped in front of the ginger she-cat, The She-Cat With Scars looked at The She-Cat Who Cared and shook her head.   _ No? _ She thought.   _ No what? _ She sent Her confused look to Her mother, who gave Her a small smile without the slightest trace of happiness.  The She-Cat Who Cared flicked her ears, in a way that She could only assume meant ‘hearing’.

Her eyes widened, and she nodded- not in agreement, but in relief.  She bounded towards The She-Cat Who Cared, and nodded more-  _ Yes! That’s what happened to me! I heard! _

The she-cats did their mouth movements, until The She-Cat Who Cared picked Her up by the scruff again, leaving the Leaf Den to pad towards their den.  

* * *

One of the Older Cats would fight with one of the Younger Cats in the middle of where the group lived every once in awhile, showing off his fighting skills and seemingly giving advice to the Younger Cat.

The Older Cat was covered in a red pelt, with darker spots in some places of the fur.  He was covered with muscle, and had a long tail that helped to keep his balance.  His blue eyes complimented his red fur, and while he looked intimidating, he always seemed kind when he wasn’t fighting.  She called him The Tom Who Fought.

The Younger Cat was a golden-brown tom, with neat paws and a lithe build.  His eyes were a deep amber.  When he fought, he tended to leap, every jump showing off his long and corded muscle through the fur.  She called him The Tom Who Leaps, but She had started to notice that whenever he leapt, The Tom Who Fought would stop their fight.

The two cats were experts in their craft, easily maneuvering themselves to attack and evade.  She watched with sharp eyes, doing Her best to absorb every movement.  Her watching was put on hold as She was licked between Her ears.

She looked up at The Tom Who Cared, who was taking his time to smooth Her fur down.  A rumbling purr was coming from his chest, the vibrations easily reaching the kit he was bent over.  She tried to squirm away from the tom’s tongue, but he wrapped a large and unmoving paw around Her, forcing Her to stay still and endure Her torture.

After what felt like an eternity, She was released, and gently guided towards the space in front of the large boulder.  She was met by The Tom Who Was Her Age, who looked to be in a similar state of disgruntlement as Her.  She sent him a confused look- tilting Her head and folding an ear backwards.  He narrowed his eyes, sticking his tongue out at Her, before focusing his attention in front of him and upwards.  The Tom Who Was Her Age nudged Her paw with his own, and She looked in the same direction.

The Tom Who Was Understanding was looking down at the two from the top of the boulder, with a look on his face that seemed fond.  His green eyes trailed over the cats that She hadn’t noticed gathered around them, before he started doing his mouth movements.  His eyes focused on The Tom Who Was Her Age as he made his movements.  She almost stiffened as The Tom Who Was Understanding moved his eyes to Her, continuing his mouth movements.  

He was giving Her a strange feeling, one that She couldn’t describe.  She only knew that She didn’t like it.

He raised his eyes, and She relaxed as he spoke to the crowd.  She could see a pale brown shape out of the corner of Her eye, and She turned Her eyes to look at it better.  He reminded Her of the tabby She had seen when She was playing with The She-Cat With Energy, in the fact that he was duller and more faded than his surroundings.  He was covered in pale brown fur without a marking or different strand of a different color, and his eyes were a dark blue.

She turned Her eyes away from the tom as The She-Cat Who Cared, The Tom Who Cared, and The She-Cat Who Played surrounded Her and The Tom Who Was Her Age with rumbling purrs, mouth movements, and licks.


	5. Chapter Four

She could hear again, and it was  _loud_. Her ears were pressed against Her head, and Her eyes were screwed shut.

"That's her," a voice mewed, making Her flinch at the sudden noise. "She just disappeared last night."

"She saw me yesterday," a new voice commented. "When she was awake."

"Guys, be quiet," a third voice meowed, and silence followed. Only the nature sounds flooded Her ears now, but they were quieter than the voices. "I think…" this time, while still loud, the voice made a point to speak in a quieter tone, "remember that tom that came here a while ago? The white one that flinched at everything?"

"The deaf one?" the second voice whispered. "You think she's deaf?" There wasn't a response, but She guessed that there was a nod or a shake of head.

"Let her adjust," She heard instead. And, slowly, She did.

The river was what had adjusted to Her new hearing first- it wasn't too loud, or high pitched, it was a low, calming noise that soon stopped hurting Her ears. Next, was the breeze- while it was making the leaves, branches, and grass rustle, in Her ears it was loud and annoying. The birds were high pitched, but She found that sound annoying, but still quieter.

Slowly, She opened Her eyes, looking at the three cats in front of Her. She recognized all of them. There was the brown tabby from yesterday, the tri-color tom from last night's dream, and the pale brown tom from earlier that day. The tabby and the brown tom were brighter here, compared to when she was awake.

"Hi," the tabby mewed softly. She took a few slow pawsteps forward. "It's a lot of sounds to get used to, huh?" she asked kindly. "My name's Aspen, and these are Bandit-" the tri-color tom waved his tail, smiling, "and String." The brown tom dipped his head. "What's your name?" Aspen asked.

"Does she know her name?" Bandit asked.

"She just got her name," String told the group, much to Her surprise as She perked Her ears in interest. "You know that big, scarred tom, Pine?" Aspen and Bandit nodded. "Apparently, in The Echoes, he names kits after a moon, so that he can name them after their personality. She was named today," he explained.

"And her name  _is_?" Bandit urged.

"Owl," String told them. "Pine said something about her being smart for her age."

 _Owl,_  her mind repeated.  _Owl, not She or Her. Owl._

* * *

She woke to the feeling of the air pushing itself out of her lungs. Owl's eyes shot open, and she turned her blue eyes towards The Tom Who Was Her Age. His paws were on her belly, and a smirk was on his face. She pushed him off of her with her hind paws, closing her eyes again. After a few heartbeats, The Tom Who Was Her Age flopped down onto her, stretching out his paws towards The She-Cat Who Cared.

She let out a huff of air, but she didn't move The Tom Who Was Her Age. The two laid there for what felt like a very comfortable, sleepy season, but eventually she shoved the pale brown and white tom off of her and stretched. She bounded out of the nursery, her eyes adjusting to the light.

Her eyes met a tom hiding in the shadows of camp. His fur was short, thin, and prickly. While most of his body was black, his muzzle and his paws were white. His eyes were a pale green color that only two other cats in the group shared. His body was thin and slender, and while he looked tiny, she guessed he was much stronger than he appeared. She called him The Tom Who Lurks.

She bounded towards him, quickly settling in next to the short-furred tom. She tucked her paws under herself, and looked up at The Tom Who Lurks with wide eyes. He gave her a long, examining look, before he blinked slowly and looked back towards camp. She curled her tail around her and watched the Younger and Older Cats in camp.

The She-Cat With Energy was speaking happily with another Younger Cat as they waited near the entrance. The tom was dark ginger, with white tail tip, chest, and fore paws. His fur was littered with scars, the thick ones easily standing out and thin ones easily hidden. One of his eyes were a leaf green, while his other was a midnight blue. One of his ears were missing, and the other was half missing. Owl had watched as he played pranks on others and walked with a limp. She called him The Tom Who Pranks.

The She-Cat With Scars padded out of the Leaf Den, flicking her tail as she left and padded towards the entrance. The She-Cat Who Played sat with a few other cats- The She-Cat Who Jumps and The Tom Who Hates.

The She-Cat Who Jumps was a golden furred she-cat with black markings on her back. Her black tail was short, while her white paws contrasted the rest of her fur. Her golden fur was marked with darker ginger stripes, and her eyes were green. She was constantly jumping at almost everything. The Tom Who Hates had seemingly permanently messy fur. Battle scars were scattered throughout the black fur, and he had one white toe on one of his paws. His eyes were a cold amber color, and he seemed to hate almost everything.

Owl watched as The Tom Who Hates made a snarling face at The She-Cat Who Jumps, who (unsurprisingly) jumped. The Tom Who Hates didn't give off any pleased emotion, but The She-Cat Who Played made a face full of anger at The Tom Who Hates- something that surprised Owl, as she had never seen anything like that from her.

The Tom Who Was Large padded towards the group with The She-Cat Who Runs In The Wind on his heels. The Tom Who Was Large was an abnormally large, ginger tom with darker orange tabby stripes. His fur was long and fluffy, adding to his large frame. However, he was a very short cat. He was one of the other cats in the group that had the pale green eye color. The She-Cat Who Runs In The Wind was slender, with cream fur and dark brown fur patterns. Her eyes were a clear, pale blue, and her features were dainty- Owl imagined that most cats would describe her as beautiful. She also looked like a cat that would be very fast.

The Tom Who Was Large led the group out through the entrance. For a heartbeat, The She-Cat Who Runs In The Wind paused to make mouth movements towards The Tom Who Pranks. When he nodded, she rushed after the group. The She-Cat With Energy stood and padded into the Younger Cat's den. After a few heartbeats, she emerged, with The Tom Who Leaps looking tired and bedraggled behind her.

The Tom Who Fought and The She-Cat Who Was Lithe- a pale gray she-cat with a reddish tint to her pelt, a lithe build, long legs, and blue-green eyes- padded towards the three Younger Cats. For a few heartbeats, the five cats made mouth movements, until they were met by The Tom Who Smiled- a black and white tabby tom with bright blue eyes. He was constantly smiling- Owl wouldn't be surprised if he smiled when he was asleep. The six cats left through the entrance.

A she-cat stopped in front of Owl and The Tom Who Lurks. She was tall- taller than most she-cats and even some toms. Her pelt was a light ginger, with darker orange stripes. Her muzzle and paws were white, and she was the last cat in the group that had pale green eyes. While her fur laid flat over her slender form, it was long. Owl called her The She-Cat Who Smiled, due to her tendency to smile at every cat she passed- which, really, just made her seem prettier.

The She-Cat Who Smiled hesitated for a heartbeat at the sight of her, but she smiled at Owl anyway. Owl gave her a smile of her own back, her tail tip flicking back and forth. The older she-cat made mouth movements towards The Tom Who Lurks, and he made his own back. For a while, that was all that they did, until The She-Cat Who Smiled looked at her and made her mouth movements. Owl narrowed her eyes and flicked a useless ear as The Tom Who Lurks responded.

"Well, that's harsh," she snapped her head towards a she-cat she hadn't seen before- a white and silver tabby with hazel eyes. Her tail was wrapped elegantly around her paws, and she looked faded and dull compared to the tree next to her. "Deaf cats are plenty smart." Owl almost flinched at the sound of her voice. She looked back at The She-Cat Who Smiled and The Tom Who Lurks, who weren't looking at the new cat.

She decided that Aspen, Bandit, String, and whoever this new cat was were a different kind of cat. She gave the tabby a confused look.

"My name is Silver," she meowed, before rising to her paws. "News about you has spread quickly, young bird." She turned and padded into the forest.  _I'm not a bird,_  she thought, flicking an ear in confusion.

Owl rose to her paws and padded away from the two cats, flicking her tail in a goodbye. She padded towards The She-Cat Who Cared and The Tom Who Was Her Age, who had just emerged from the nursery. She stopped in front of them, only to be tackled by the tom. She ended up crushed under the largest kit's weight, and watched as The She-Cat Who Cared made her mouth movements from where her head was pressed against the ground.

 _Wait…_  she thought. She  _recognized_  that mouth movement- it was one that was  _extremely_ close to the one Aspen had made in her dream. Owl opened her mouth to speak, but the word didn't come out as fast and easy as it had for Aspen.

"Sound," she meowed.


End file.
